


Harvest Moon

by geralehane



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Love Confessions, Reunions, Sex Magic, Small Towns, Witches, anyways this was previously posted on my patreon as part of my spooktober femslash series, but i'm repurposing it as a (sort of?) valentine's day story, i just discovered ao3 allows original work???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:40:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29434725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geralehane/pseuds/geralehane
Summary: Evelyn. Eva, as she's told her to call her back in high school, hazel eyes twinkling with a smile. From a self-described runt, she's grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair’s much longer, but just as raven-rich and silky-looking, a sharp contrast against her pale skin. Just like all those years ago.God, it's been literal years. Almost a decade, and there is still a low pull in the pit of her stomach, drawing her closer to the once-friend. And, if she’s being honest, the source of her sexual awakening.
Relationships: Tala/Eva
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	Harvest Moon

It's been a long road back home, and Tala wants nothing more than to crawl under a blanket and sleep for a week. Her layover flight got delayed and she had to spend the night at an airport motel, drifting in and out of cautious drowsiness, a state that continued on the flight and stretched out into the ride to her hometown. She barely even manages to admire the colorful trees of the countryside on the way to her childhood home. 

Once she reaches her destination, all she can do is trudge upstairs and pass out on her old bed, immensely grateful to her mom’s foresight and near-obsessiveness with tidiness that prompted her to hire the cleaners before Tala got to the house no one lives in anymore. 

She gets a glorious two-hour nap before her mom’s call wakes her up. 

“I woke you up, didn’t I?” ex-Mrs. Becket and presently Mrs. Carter asks regretfully on the other end of the line. Tala clears her throat and sits up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

“A little,” she admits. “It’s okay, though. Don’t want to screw up my night sleep too much.” 

Her mom chuckles. “Might be a little too late for that,” she teases. “Did you get home okay?” 

Home. Tala stands up, stretching lightly, and looks around the almost bare room with boxes lining the walls. “Yeah. How are you guys settling in?” 

“Oh, it’s great,” her mother coos. For a second, Tala thinks she can hear the ocean waves lapping at the shore in the background. She closes her eyes, smiling, and imagines the warm, salty breeze on her face. There's always been something about California. Not for her, but in general. “Richard is thinking about getting a cat. I thought I re-married so I specifically wouldn't end up spending the rest of my life surrounded by cats.” 

Tala laughs at that, shaking her head, which tousles her chestnut curls even more. She huffs, pushing her hair back. Maybe she should cut it even shorter than the current shoulder-length. “If that was the only reason, maybe you’d be better off with a cat.”

  
  
“Don’t be silly. I’d kill the damn thing if I were left alone with it. Remember my plants?”

She does. Geraniums and violets wilted before they even started to bloom, up until Tala grew old enough to start properly caring for them herself. “You’re not alone now,” she says, absentmindedly. “The man moved across the country for you. Getting an animal with him seems like a pretty small thing, compared.” 

“Please, we both moved for the beach,” her mother scoffs, but it’s with an airy chuckle, and Tala’s smile widens as she takes the sound in. The sound of happiness - the one that’s free and warm.

“Yeah, and farmer’s markets. Although ours are still better.” 

“Infinitely! No other harvest like Dalhart,” her mom enthusiastically agrees. 

Tala chuckles. She does occasionally miss Dalhart’s apples. “I’ll call the realtor agency tomorrow,” she says. 

“Oh, thank you so much for handling this, honey,” her mom tells her, in a more serious tone. “We’d stay and do it ourselves, but my transfer took a lot of time, and Richard’s job wanted him here as soon as possible--”

“Mom. Of course. I wasn’t doing much, anyway. Was starting to think this whole sabbatical wasn’t such a great idea after all.” 

She’s immediately yet gently scolded. “Don’t say that. Taking a break is important.” 

“I guess.” Tala pauses, biting the inside of her cheek. “I’m kind of hoping that being back home will help me figure out what I want to do next. I mean - I don’t know.” 

“Oh, Tala. Of course it will help. If you want to stay there for a while to figure things out, take as much time as you need. You know I’d be happy if you even moved in.” 

At that, she lets out a dry chuckle. “I doubt it, mom. Pretty sure I’ll end up going back to work after we sell the house. Plus my whole life is in London.” She wonders if her tiny apartment and a mismatched social circle and an almost-romantic something can really count as her whole life, but there is no way she wants to discuss it with her mother. At least not right now. 

Mrs. Carter sighs. “Well, whatever makes you happy, sweet girl.” It’s been a while since she called her that - quite a long while. That name, coupled with her being back in her childhood bedroom, makes something in her chest shift and turn. Not quite clicking into place, but feeling good nonetheless. “Let me know how the realtor call goes?” 

“Sure. Tell Richard I said hi.” 

“Will do.” Then, one quick goodbye later, Tala’s alone again. She glances at the bed, with the longing of a semi-jetlagged person torn between getting at least some sleep tonight and just saying fuck it and crawling back in, but the first one wins, and she heads to the bathroom with a yawn.

***

After a brief internal debate on the food situation, she decides to get some groceries and make dinner instead of ordering. Tala figures it’ll help her battle her leftover drowsiness, give her something to do, and maybe make her evening just a little bit cosier. On the way, she even makes a decision to bake an apple pie to up the cozy factor, and she arrives at the store in a pretty good mood. 

It sort of nosedives when she rounds the corner and her cart crushes into someone else’s. Mid-whistle and mortified, she prepares to frantically apologize when her gaze finds the most magnetic eyes she’s ever seen staring at her in a silent awe.

Evelyn. Eva, as she's told her to call her back in high school, hazel eyes twinkling with a smile. From a self-described runt, she's grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair’s much longer, but just as raven-rich and silky-looking, a sharp contrast against her pale skin. Just like all those years ago. 

God, it's been literal _years_. Almost a decade, and there is still a low pull in the pit of her stomach, drawing her closer to the once-friend. And, if she’s being honest, the source of her sexual awakening.

Well. It’s not like random run-ins like that are that unexpected in one’s hometown, right? And yet -- and yet. Her traitorous heart skips a beat and then picks up the pace, and it’s like her _whole life_ in London never even existed.

“Tala,” Evelyn breathes, and it’s like she’s falling. “You’re back.”

“I - yeah.” She manages a grin. “Hi. Hello.” Well. “Um, yeah, I came back today. My mom wants to sell the house, and I’m the official representative.” She kind of wants to smack herself after uttering all of the unnecessary words, but Evelyn seems to be charmed, if her light snicker is any indication. 

“I see. Official business. How’s London?” 

_Empty_ , she almost blurts out. “Surprisingly sunny. How’s -- how are you? We should… catch up, sometime. I will probably be here at least a couple of weeks more.” 

Eva’s enthusiastic nod fills her with a rush of giddiness she hasn’t felt in a while, and she barely contains her grin when she gives her the phone to put her number in. Then, they just stand there, in the middle of the store, smiling and staring and smiling. 

_There is something to figure out, indeed,_ Tala thinks as she watches Eva tuck an unruly strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're in time for the Harvest festival this year," Evelyn comments quietly after their brief pause, her usual half-smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, well, you know," Tala lets out a small cough and rubs the back of her neck. "Figured it was high time I took you on that hay ride." She has to almost physically fight the urge to cringe immediately after the words leave her mouth. Because - she's not sure what's more morityfing: her horrendous and probably totally inappropriate flirting that she wasn't even trying to do, or that fact that she remembers a promise made more than seven years ago.

Somehow, though, Eva doesn't politely excuse herself and run as far away from her as possible. The twinkle in her eye is painfully familiar as her dimples deepen. "I will hold you to that this time," she murmurs, voice low and velvet. For a second, the rays of the autumn sun inside the supermarket seem to dim. Then, Eva winks, and the tension is gone, and it's as bright as ever. "It's good to have you back, Tala," she says. The sincerity of her tone makes something inside Tala's chest clench, once, leaving a bittersweet taste in her mouth. "I hope you stay awhile."

***

The cup tilts awkwardly, and hot liquid inside splashes at the rims unlike a miniature ocean before spilling over. Tala winces as droplets of tea land on her fingers. She places the cup on the countertop and grabs a rag to dab at the wet spot and wipe her hands. 

"Classic," she mutters at herself as she rinses the rag and hangs it on the sink edge. Then, with a sigh, she picks up her cup of tea - extra carefully this time - and leans back against the kitchen island, staring out the window as she lets the memories wash over her. 

Eva. It’s almost -- it’s as if she faded from her memory over time, which seems impossible, insane now that everything’s come flooding back. All of the looks and smiles and cuddles and tears. Tala can’t help but laugh as she remembers them being convinced their entire town was a cult that sacrificed people for good harvest - because apparently nothing else could explain Dalhart’s state-famous produce. Eva’s grandmother teased them about it for at least a week, after they barged in on what turned out to be a mini-swinger party in the woods. Thankfully both couples were still partially clothed in strategic places and had enough sense to not be mad at two teenagers for getting them a fine for indecent exposure. That’s definitely the story she wants to reminisce about.

How did they even come to that conclusion? Try as she might, Tala couldn’t remember. Most of her memories were still kind of hazy, but she’s always had an average to moderate memory. Which is currently in overdrive pulling out the smallest moments she’s had with her once-best friend. 

Shaking her head, she puts her cup down, just as her phone rings loudly, the sound so sudden it startles her and interrupts the stream of her subconsciousness. It’s the realtor, and Tala quickly makes an appointment for tomorrow. She also tries not to analyze the sharp pang of disappointment in her chest when she’s realized it wasn’t Eva. 

_Get a grip. If you want to see her, call her yourself._

Tomorrow, she promises herself as she trudges upstairs. Tomorrow.

***

Tomorrow becomes today, and today is a great day. She’s picking Eva up at seven and they are going to get coffee and reminisce. Tala’s not entirely sure what it means for her in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like this is the first time she’s excited about something in years. And she’s not about to pass that up. 

Eva sounds excited over the phone, too. She still lives in her grandmother's house - Mama Ruth passed away a couple of years ago, as Tala remembers from a conversation with her mom a while back. She hasn't reached out to Eva then, which still haunts her just a little. But maybe today is her chance at making it right.

As far as first dates that might not even actually be dates go, Tala would call this a relative success. She only stumbles twice during their walk to the park, and Eva’s quiet melodic laugh is more than enough of a consolation for her clumsiness. They struggle just for several minutes before settling on a conversation flow and pace, and it’s all rather uphill from there. A pleasant day bleeds into a pleasant evening, and they stroll through the town, sipping at their warm lattes and bashfully exchanging glances every time their fingers just barely brush as they walk side by side.

But -- the nervous, unspoken anticipation of the night and what could be ahead has been building up the entire perfectly pleasant date, and Tala knows Eva knows this. Feels it, too. Just as much as her, if not more, glancing her way more and more often the darker it gets and the closer they are to her house. 

When Eva quietly asks her if she’d like to join her for a nightcap, she can only nod, not trusting her voice. And just as silently, Eva turns the key and lets her in. 

***

Eva’s house looks and feels exactly as she remembers - warm and homey and cozily old. A torrent of memories crashes into her as she slowly takes off her jacket. They come in flashes: here’s Eva and her giggling as they sneak a bottle of wine up to Eva’s room, there’s Eva’s grandmother and her affectionate smiles and hugs every time Tala comes over, and -- Eva’s hazel eyes puffy and downcast while Tala fumbles to explain there’s nothing between her and Matt while not fully understanding why exactly it’s so important Eva knows she’s not dating a boy…

Wow, was she blind back in a day. 

“What would you like to drink?”

Eva’s quiet voice shakes her out of her bewilderment, and she blinks at her already standing in the kitchen and holding a bottle of red. “Uh, this is fine.” She clears her throat. “I mean, whatever you’re drinking is cool.” 

Hazel eyes squint, quickly filling up with adoring mischief. “You sure? Last time we had wine in this house, you puked all over my walls.” 

Tala groans, covering her face with her hands. For a moment, the tension between them fades. “I was _fourteen_ ,” she mumbles, huffing when she hears Eva laugh. “Will I ever live that down?”

Her friend shrugs. “Try not to puke this time, and we’ll see,” she says. Then, in a lower tone: “Might even let you sleep in the bed instead of the floor. Maybe.”

And the tension is back, just like that. 

Maybe. Tala gulps, and hurriedly grasps at her wine glass. Of course, she miscalculates. Instead of grabbing it she pushes it with enough force to knock it over and send it shattering to the floor. And, because that apparently isn’t enough humiliation for tonight, she sort of causes Eva to cut her finger on a glass shard when they both dive for the mess and she swats her hands away. 

In her defense, she has nothing. 

“Oh my God.” 

“Tala--” 

“I’m so, so sorry,” she springs to her feet, head whipping back and forth as she looks for - what exactly, she’s not sure. A towel, to stop the bleeding first, and then - she doesn’t know if they’ll need to go get stitches, didn’t get a good look at the cut, but--

“Tala. I’m okay.” A small but surprisingly strong hand grabs her elbow, stopping her mid-medical panic. “Look. It’s fine.” That same hand gently grasps her chin, making her face what she’s done. 

Which isn’t much. Or anything, really.

“See? I’m okay.” 

“But.” Tala blinks and stares at Eva’s hands again. Her very cutless hands, without a spec of blood on them. 

But - she saw the blood. She’s absolutely sure she did. 

Tala is hit, then, with a very distinct memory of Eva's late grandmother grabbing a boiling hot teapot once by accident, much to the horror of her younger self, and having no scars to show for it. 

Maybe they have some sort of regeneration genes? Some things run in the family. 

Yeah. Like diabetes. Not Wolverine powers.

Eva’s expression is unreadable as she studies her, head tilted and gaze even. “You’re probably still jetlagged,” she comments lightly. “Might be seeing things. It’s okay.” 

She’s about to protest in confusion and, honestly, mild annoyance, but maybe Eva’s right. Maybe she is seeing things. It _has_ been a pretty packed couple of days. Maybe she should be getting some rest just about now. 

“You know what, you’re probably right,” she finds herself saying, as she battles a yawn. “I think I should go. Didn’t quite realize how exhausted I still am.” 

“Yeah, of course,” Eva springs into action, motioning for Tala to follow her out into the hallway as she grabs her coat and helps her put it on. She only pauses once Tala’s fully clothed and facing her, Eva’s hands stilling on her lapels. “Get home safe,” she breathes, then. 

Tala’s sure her answering slow smile is a touch dopey, but she doesn’t care. For a second, she wonders - if she just leans in; just an inch more - will Eva lean in, too? 

A hand grazes her cheek, and she’s not quite drowsy, but content and warm. “Safe,” Eva repeats in a whisper, and smiles. 

***

It’s only when she’s almost near her house that Tala realizes she barely remembers leaving Eva’s. Or the way back. Or why she left, because - she was not going to. She remembers that. She remembers -- Eva cut her hand. Blood, she remembers blood - and then none of it. 

Either she’s going insane, or Eva’s holding a hell of a grudge and pulling a confusing, vaguely cruel prank on her. 

“What the fuck?” Tala asks out loud, and turns back. 

***

She’s hallucinating. Has to be. Or this is an insanely elaborate prank. Eva remembers their highschool screw-up and is pulling a prank. That’s it. She knew Tala would follow her to the woods, and--

Eva’s chanting grows louder and louder, and all thoughts are gone from Tala’s head as she watches the girl she loved _float above the fucking ground_. And she looks like she’s immensely enjoying it. Her face almost looks as if… 

A dry branch cracks under Tala’s boot when she stumbles back. The sound, traitorously loud, echoes throughout the entire forest, it seems. The chanting stops. Eva drops to the ground, silently, like a cat, and snaps her head to the left, peering straight into her soul with just the whites of her eyes. 

Tala blinks, and turns, and runs.

***

She has no idea how to process this. 

Eva hasn’t called, or texted, even though Tala’s more than sure she saw her in the woods. Maybe she doesn’t know how to process this, too. But, to be fair, she’s not exactly the one who needs to. 

It’s like she’s missing something very important. Something that’s there, at the front of her memory but foggy like a bathroom mirror. 

She’s trying to connect the dots as she paces all over the living room. According to a quick google search and most of the horror films she’s seen, Eva’s most probably a witch or possessed by either a demon or a spirit. After some quick panicked thinking, Tala comes to a conclusion that she’d prefer the second option. That would mean Eva - the real Eva - is still there somewhere and there’s a chance she can be saved. The first option would just mean Eva’s been lying to her this entire time, and -- 

Tala comes to an abrupt stop. The sacrifice. What if it’s real, too? What if -- Eva’s grandmother was the one patiently explaining how foolish they were being. What if she was involved? What if Eva’s involved now, too? 

She has to know if it’s something she needs to save Eva from, or if Eva herself is the source of danger. Which means at some point she needs to see her again. 

Tala sighs, and takes out her phone.

***

“Well.” 

Eva’s the first to break the silence. They met on a neutral territory - Tala’s request, and she’s still vaguely feeling like an asshole for that - and right now Eva’s sipping on a latte she got from a coffee shop across from the bench they are sitting on. She looks… She doesn’t look like someone possessed by an evil entity, that’s for sure. She doesn’t look particularly evil, either. Right now, in the light of a mutedly bright autumn day, she looks like she barely slept, and her red-rimmed eyes are filled with emotion Tala’s yet to decipher. 

She sighs and makes herself look at Eva as she thinks of words to say. “Um.” Yeah. “Yesterday. I didn’t hallucinate it, right? When you cut your hand,” she rushes to say when Eva opens her mouth. “You did cut it.” 

Hazel eyes close, briefly. Then, “I did cut it.”

“But - then why…” 

Eva’s sigh is impatient, and she’s suddenly agitated. “What - because you reacted so calmly and stayed totally cool when you saw there was no cut?” She huffs. “I had to calm you down a little. I - please don’t freak out, but I put you under a very small memory spell. And then a protection spell.”

Spell. 

Tala feels her heart constrict with disappointment. 

They stay silent for what feels like an eternity, until Eva can’t handle it again. “Aren’t you going to ask me about what you saw in the woods?” She asks, faux-calm. Takes another measured sip and squints at Tala over the rim of her cup, and - God, her heart, the traitor, squeezes for an entirely different reason now. 

Which could also be fabricated, could it not?

She swallows the sudden hurt down. “What was it in the woods?” 

“A ritual for the Harvest,” Eva replies immediately. “Dalhart’s famous produce comes with a price. Well,” she grins with amusement that Tala doesn’t understand. “It’s a pleasant price, at least.” 

“Pleasant -- _what?!_ ” Tala hisses, confused and angry and more than a little hurt. “So not only the sacrifice is real - you enjoy it?!” 

“I - oh good Goddess, Tala, I literally keep forgetting you don’t know anything.” Eva puts her latte aside and stands up, shaking her head. “It’s not a human sacrifice. Or - I mean, not in a sense you’d be used to?” Noticing Tala’s incredulous gaze, she shakes her head again, laughing at herself. “Oh, man. Okay. Remember back in high school we were convinced the town kills people and we went into the woods and we caught the Boltons and the Greens about to start an orgy?” 

“Yeah,” she nods. “Vividly.” 

Eva laughs again. “That was the sacrifice.” When Tala doesn’t react in any visible way, she continues. “I mean, not the orgy. But their sexual energy. It’s the fertility Goddess - get it? She’s all about life and produce. Life and produce come in various forms.” She frowns, then. “I did not mean to make that pun.” 

“No.” Because honestly - what else can she say? “No way. No way it’s that easy.” 

“It’s anything _but_ easy,” Eva bristles. “Do you know how much planning goes into this? _And_ I need to store up on energy and cleanse for the pre--sacrifice ritual, so for a _month_ prior I don’t orgasm. A _month_ , Tala.” 

Tala quickly reminds herself that it’s not the information she needs to be focusing on right now. “So you’re in charge of the whole thing? Like…” she takes a deep breath, nodding to herself. “Like your Gran. You come from a witch bloodline.” 

“And you’re just as sharp as I remember.”

She hums. “Took me about a decade to figure it out, so…” 

Eva’s laugh is quiet but full. She joins in, too, and for a second, they are Tala and Eva again, and all she can think about is holding her hand. 

  
The reality, though, has a nasty habit of crashing precious moments. “Um. There’s also something you should probably know,” Eva speaks, and she’s more than a little sure she’s not going to like whatever it is. “That night, back in high school. In the woods. I -- well, you remember the kiss, right?” The words are fumbling and awkward, and in any other situation Tala would find this endlessly adorable - Eva blushing and stuttering as she asks her about their first and only kiss. It wasn’t even as much of a kiss as it was an urgent pressing of lips, but - yes, she remembers. 

She nods. Eva continues. 

“Yeah. Uh, so we kinda promised ourselves to the Goddess in that moment and she might be getting impatient about it?” 

Ah, but of course. This day is dead set on proving her it _can_ and absolutely _will_ get worse, isn’t it? “I need you to explain this to me in a little more detail.” 

***

To Eva’s credit, she tries. But because she herself is a mess of nerves, she gets very technical and most of her explanation makes very little sense. Tala, though, is sure she got the gist. She’s also sure she does not like the gist one bit.

“So all of it--” it’s suffocating, the weight of this realization. Dreadful and cold but most of all disappointing. “All this time - me thinking of you, feeling… It’s, what, a spell gone wrong? A demonic debt gone unpaid?” 

Eva rolls her eyes, and huffs. The empty cup in her hands is mangled beyond repair. “It’s like you’re not even listening to me,” she says, quick and loud. “Your spirit chose mine, and mine chose yours. And -- yes, we do owe the ritual to the Goddess, but it was always our choice.” She scrunches her nose, then. “Also, maybe don’t call it a demonic debt. Definitely not in the woods. Just a heads up.” 

"Spirit," Tala repeats, incredulous. "What, like -- soulmates?"

"Well, close. Not quite. It's not as… predetermined." She watches as Eva releases a short, quick breath, seemingly trying to find the right words. “The soulmate concept is tied to destiny, and the chosen spirit is the _chosen_ spirit. As in, you made your choice. On a spiritual level.” 

Right. Because that makes everything better. 

_Doesn’t it?_

Tala’s suddenly very, very drained. “I don’t know how I feel about this,” she admits quietly. The woman before her - someone she’s thought she’s cherished unconditionally throughout the years - is her _chosen spirit,_ and nothing makes sense anymore. “I don’t - also, how do I even know you’re telling the truth about any of this?” 

Her high school friend shakes her head and stands up, slow and sad. “It’s the Harvest tonight. Come to the woods, and you’ll see. I don’t know how else I can convince you.” 

“Right,” Tala scoffs. “I go to the woods and get sacrificed. I’ve seen the movies, you know.” 

Eva shrugs. “You can be the sacrifice, but only if you want to be.” The implication is clear and Tala bites the inside of her cheek in embarrassment, but Eva breezes through it. “As for the whole killing thing, you only have my word. Or I guess you could just wait for the Harvest to be over and we could talk then. Or - I don’t know. I’m sorry, Tala. I’m sorry I hid it from you and I’m sorry I didn’t reach out once I was initiated, but to be fair, you never did either, and,” she takes a shaky breath, then, and Tala can’t quite meet her eyes at this part. “And. I just - I thought you moved on, and you were never coming back. But you did. And now you know everything. I told you everything there is to know.” When Tala doesn’t reply, Eva nods. “Okay. You know where to find me, then.” 

With that, she leaves. And Tala -- Tala’s not sure she will ever fully process any of that. 

***

She goes to the woods that night, because of course she does.

The moon's still hiding behind the heavy clouds, and Tala's not entirely sure how she can see anything without a flashlight, but somehow everything is still perfectly visible. She wonders if it’s Eva’s doing. Wonders just what is the exact extent of her powers. Wonders, wonders, wonders. 

Eva’s at the same spot she saw her in the woods last. Barefoot and dressed in white and looking absolutely serene and like she _belongs._ And this - this doesn’t feel evil. At all. 

She feels like home, and on a different level, it’s endlessly more terrifying - to find something Tala’s been looking for her entire life in something this bizarre. 

"So we're the sacrifice this year?" Tala asks, her voice is shaky, but she's surprised to find it's not from nerves. Anticipation curls in the low of her stomach, waiting to spring. She just needs Eva to say-- she's not sure what, but she just needs to hear a specific something.

Eva half-turns to face her, gaze bright as she gives a languid shrug. "I'm willing to bet there are at least four more couples already knuckles deep," she grins, wryly. "She doesn't exactly care whose sexual energy she feeds on. I once almost convinced the Council to let someone masturbate in the woods alone, just to see if that'd be the same. They chickened out in the end, but I guess I get it," she mutters to herself, before sighing and meeting Tala's tense stare with her own curious one. "Basically, we don't have to. I just really, really want to."

It takes Tala approximately 5 seconds to cross over to Eva and claim her lips in a hungry kiss that has them both moaning with a long overdue satisfaction.

"We could've been doing this the entire time," Evelyn pants into her mouth, suddenly livid. Tala wonders if she should really be finding it this hot. "God, I think I hate you just a little bit. Why did you leave?"

"I don't know," Tala says, truthfully. "I was searching for something, I think. Now I found it."

"Asshole," Eva comments, without any bite to it. "I want you inside me now."

Tala growls. The sudden need to dominate and please and _take_ is overwhelming in its euphoria, and she's struck with the clarity of the realization that she's never leaving this woman again. She lets her hand snake down Eva's trembling body, mind too hazy to even enjoy the silkness of her skin properly. _Later_ pulses in her head, like a mantra, later' we'll get to it later.

Now, all she craves is pulling Eva's panties aside and sinking into her with two fingers and a loud grunt - and that's exactly what she does.

"Yes," Eva chokes out as she grabs at Tala's shoulders, eyes wide and wild. "Goddess, yes - fuck me, just like that."

It doesn't take long, which is a shame, but Tala makes sure to focus on every little thing, as if knowing Eva won't last - not with how absolutely drenched she is around Tala's fingers. 

So she watches. Watches, greedily, as Eva’s face changes with every thrust. As her brow furrows the closer she gets; as she bites at her own lips, as she moans and cries out for her. Watches as she arches into her near her peak, head thrown back and delicate neck open for the taking. 

And, as hazel eyes fly open in shocked, sudden pleasure, Tala is swept up in a whirlwind together with her, and for a small eternity, their breaths and their cries and their souls are one.

***

“Let the record show,” Tala whispers in Eva’s ear sometime around dawn, “that a lot of trouble could have been spared if you’d just told me this is a _sex_ sacrifice.” 

**One year later.**

"Jesus," Tala breathes out at the sight of all the enormous pumpkins stacked like a mountain on a proud display right in the center of the supermarket. "One of those could feed, like, a small village."

"I think the larger the pumpkin, the less edible it is," Eva muses beside her, cocking her head to the side in thought as she studies the pumpkins. "Looks impressive, though." She grins, then, lip bit with a faraway look.

Tala clears her throat, already guessing what's on her girlfriend's mind.

"Eva."

"Hmm?" the witch blinks, letting her gaze refocus on Tala's adoringly exasperated one. "Yeah. Come again?"

"I'm sure you'd love to," Tala mutters teasingly. "Where'd you just go, huh?"

“I’ll tell you where we’re going right now,” her girlfriend mutters before grabbing her hand and quickly dragging a laughing Tala out of the store and to their car. 

***

It’s a good couple of hours before they collapse together on the bed, panting, and Tala still doesn’t feel tired. “I don’t know whether it’s the anniversary week or your new haircut,” she murmurs in Eva’s ear before nibbling on it, to which the woman replies with a girlish giggle, “but I do not plan on leaving this room today. Or tomorrow.” 

“That’s just impractical,” the witch grins up at her. Hazel eyes are twinkling with the kind of calm happiness Tala’s been feeling for a year and is sure to continue feeling for the rest of her life as long as it’s with this woman pinned under her, and her heart will probably never fail to skip a bit when she sees this smile. 

She smiles down at her girlfriend, before reaching out to trace a gentle finger down her cheek. "Wanna come in my mouth?"

"Yes please," Eva states, a huff of a demand on her lips, and Tala doesn't have to be told twice.


End file.
